Hanbei Takenaka/Character Information
Character Information Development The producer is happy to add him to the cast and notes that he is a character completely different than history. He originally wanted to make an intelligent character with a "good face" to match Kanbei, but didn't want to make them too similar to one another. Instead, Hanbei was adjusted to be the "smart yet comical" character to contrast Kanbei's suspicious persona. Personality Hanbei is a bright, sarcastic yet relatively composed youth who believes in alternatives. Outgoing and confident in his talents, he looks forward to testing his skills and finding some source of entertainment in each battle. He is quick to judge people based on their appearances and can't restrain himself from letting a snide comment slip, especially with the women he faces. He gets offended when people confuse him for a mere child, telling them that he is a legitimate genius. While his skills impress Nagamasa, the just yet naive general fails to catch Hanbei's attention. Unaffected by Kanbei's apathetic nature, Hanbei acts as his friend's affable and charming critic. Hanbei is a bit lazier than his counterpart, as the older strategist talks at a slower pace than Kanbei and likes to take naps in his spare time. He shares an affinity with Deng Ai, Jia Xu, and Zhuge Liang in his Warriors Orochi appearance. Character Symbolism He is symbolized by the characters "talented" (俊) and "worthy" (賢) within the Samurai Warriors series. All of Hanbei's weapons in Samurai Warriors 3 deal with the constellations or stars. It's part of a commonly believed mannerism for strategists to perform divinations based on the stars, an archaic method for creating essential strategies. His Normal weapon is named after a "cross of stars" which could either refer to Northern or Southern Cross. A "pole star" forms the namesake of his Power types. "Seven stars" act as the namesake for his Speed, which is often interpreted as the Big Dipper. Hanbei's Unique weapon references two terms found within astrology. The first is the Twelve Branches, which is an archaic Chinese method of telling time. It's the source of the Chinese Zodiacs, twelve beasts who are commonly celebrated during the Chinese New Year and with various fortune telling stalls. The second part of his weapon's name references the Eight Generals -or alternatively the Eight Princes or the Cycle Gods. Like the Chinese Zodiacs, they are representations of the Twelve Branches and rotate in a new direction each new year. The Eight Generals who are celebrated within Onmyōdō are: #Tai Sai - mirror image of Jupiter #Tai Shougun - originally a god of Venus in China, adapted as a guardian of metal in Japan. Cardinal direction doesn't change for three years. #Tai Onjin - entity of Saturn who is a compassionate bodhisattva. May be ill-willed towards women, but fortunate for those pursuing arts and studies. #Sai Gyoshin - deity of Mercury, he governs different types of punishments. An earth deity who favors warriors. #Saiha - spirit of Saturn who is responsible for shifting earth for the gods. Forebodes ill futures for long lasting relationships (such as pets, homes, marriages, etc.) #Saisetsu - spirit of Venus, he seeks to destroy and kill. It's best to avoid making important decisions while he's facing a person. Apparently likes military affairs. #Ōban - Japanese interpretation of Rahu who causes solar eclipses. Invokes death and confusion. #Hyōbi - Japanese interpretation of Ketu who has a nasty temper and hates dirty things. Can cause harm and defilements to anything it faces. Sagara forms the namesake of his secondary Unique weapon. He is one of the Eight Dragon Lords who defends Buddha. A god of the ocean, he is known as a dragon minister amongst the other lords. He is a muscular deity who acts as a messenger for divine goddesses. According to the Lotus Sutra, he is actually a woman or young girl who reigns over rain and large bodies of water. It's also argued that the female Sagara is actually one of his daughters. Another legend surrounding Sagara is his ability to shape-shift into different female figures to apprehend a bandit. He could turn into an elderly woman or a young maiden to heal those hurt by the thief. Voice Actors *Yuri Lowenthal - Samurai Warriors 3 (English-uncredited) *Umeka Shōji - Samurai Warriors 3, Warriors Orochi 3 (Japanese) *Hideo Ishikawa - Kessen III (Japanese) *Tetsuya Kakihara - Geten no Hana Yumeakari Live Action Performer *Keita Kubo - as Takenyaga Hanbei in Butai Nobunyaga no Yabou